The recently announced Zoom F4 Multitrack Field Recorder bridges the gap between their popular H6 and flagship F8 eight input models. Read more below.
The Zoom design team has been innovating in interesting directions lately, even adding cameras to their product lineup last year. The Zoom F4 Multitrack Field Recorder is a return to their indie-friendly audio mixer roots, with a compact 8-track/6-input design and portable in a 2.3lbs metal form factor.
Its capability to record for over seven and a half hours at 192 kHz in 24-bit stereo on SD/SDHC/SDXC in .WAV with a 32gb card means no card dumping until the end of the shoot day at least.
Featuring mic preamps of -127 Bu and the capability of adding up to 75 dB of gain, Zoom promises very low noise with +4 dB line-level inputs. You can record WAV at 44.1, 47.952, 48, 48.048, 88.2, 96, 192kHz, or MP3 at 128, 192, 320 kbps, 44.1/48 kHz. Two SD card slots can dual record, and dumping files is possible from a USB port without removing the cards.
Inputs:
Input 1-4: XLR-1/4″ / 6.35 mm combo jacks
Input 5-6: 1/8″ / 3.5 mm stereo mini jack
Each of the four Neurtik XLR/TRS connections has individual 24/48V phantom power capability. The mini jacks can be used for returning audio to the camera or for sending a feed to video village for monitoring.
Outputs:
Main: Balanced XLR (2-pin hot)
Sub Output: 1/8″ / 3.5 mm
Headphone: 1/4″ / 6.35 mm unbalanced stereo jack
Four locking XLR inputs on one side of the Zoom F4
Power options are numerous. Power the F4 from 8 AA batteries, an external DC battery pack, DC-HIROSE or a wall outlet power supply.
An unexpected bonus of the Zoom F4 is timecode. The ability to jam sync TC to such a compact device at a very friendly price point is a major plus. The F4 boasts a very precise Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator, or TCXO, that allows for 0.2ppm precision at the following frame rates: 23.976ND, 24ND, 25ND, 29.97ND, 29.97D, 30ND and 30D.
Zoom mic capsules can be added to the blue port in the image giving you added XLR or 3.5mm inputs as well as other customization options.
Camera operators have been enjoying more and more the freedom of modular camera designs and it’s good to see Zoom continuing to support their modular mic capsule adapters. You can easily add a wide variety of Zoom accessories with these mic capsules and here are just a few:
ECM-3 mic capsule extender cableMSH-6 mid-side mic capsuleSGH-6 shotgun mic capsuleSSH-6 stereo shotgun mic capsuleEXH-6 dual XLR/TRS combo input capsule
All of the mic capsule adapters can be used on the Zoom H5 and Zoom H6.
Zoom promises to bring many of our favorite features of the Zoom F8 to a wider audience of filmmakers with their new F4 MultiTrack Recorder.
Features of the Zoom F4 MultiTrack Field Recorder at a glance:
Six-input / eight-track field recorder with integrated mixer
Timecode (TC) with little potential for drift
Six inputs, including four XLR/TRS combo connectors, a stereo 3.5mm input, and Zoom mic-capsule input
Weighs slightly over two pounds (without batteries)
High-quality mic preamps with up to 75 dB gain, less than -127 dBu EIN, and +4 dB line inputs
Support for up to 24-bit/192 kHz recording as well as 96, 88.2, 48, and 44.1 kHz, plus 47.952 and 48.048 kHz for HD video compatibility; 16-/24-bit resolution
Two different power supply options: 8x AA batteries or external DC with 4-pin Hirose connector
Dedicated gain control knob with 6 individual LED level meters
Phantom power (+48V/+24V) on each preamp
On-board limiters for both input and output
Compatible with all Zoom mic capsules
1.9” white, backlit monochrome LCD
Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots, up to 512GB each
WAV or MP3 file formats
Availability: B&H is accepting preorders now and for our European audience, head to CVP by clicking here.
Price: $649.99

The Tascam DR-100 MK III is the latest release by one of the industry leaders in field audio recording. It comes as a new update to their flagship DR-100 recording product line, and includes a couple of very nice upgrades that allow for recording of better and longer uninterrupted audio.
Long a favorite of DSLR shooters, Tascam recorders are widely known for their portability and being audio capture workhorses out on location. Look into any one-man-band kitbag out there and you’re very likely to find a Tascam recorder of some sort.
As opposed to the MK II, the Tascam DR-100 MK III allows for recording onto SDXC (not SDHC!) cards up to 128GB. Given the relative size of audio versus video files, you’ll likely be recording all week on a single card if you choose, although I would recommend offloading after each shoot day. You also see a bump up in file quality with the new 24-Bit/192 kHz option, where it’s predecessor only allowed for 24-Bit/96kHz recording.
A standout feature for me is the dual-battery design featuring a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable, as well as the normal capability to use AA batteries. This is perfect for long interviews or concerts: situations where you will want to swap batteries without halting recording.
The Tascam DR-100 MK III is also built around an aluminium frame, giving it some added drop protection in the field.
MAIN PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS:
2 x XLR/TRS Combo Inputs
A second dual-record mode captures WAV and MP3 files simultaneously
Dual-battery design uses a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable and AA batteries for extended recording times
On-Board A/B Stereo Microphone
Records up to 24-Bit/192 kHz
Records to SDXC Cards up to 128GB
Aluminum Chasis
Low-noise HDDA microphone preamps
Phantom Power
The Tascam DR-100 MK III is available now from B&H HERE, or the link below.

Johnnie Behiri just confirmed that the Canon T4i seems to be Canon’s first HDSLR camera that has a clean hdmi-out feed!
Is it usable?
That’s an important question. Initial testing was done with an Atomos Ninja 1 and the footage had some issues. The signal is clean, but further testing has to be done to see if the 650D’s signal is actually usable for external recording.
Canon & Atomos have been contacted to make sure they can work out any issues here. We’ve seen a similar situation before when the Nikon D800 & Atomos Ninja combination posed some challenges that have now been resolved.
A source of the problem could also be the fact that the camera used was a beta model.
What does it mean?
Up until this day all Canon HDSLR cameras had overlays within the hdmi signal that could not be removed making an external recording impossible. The signal coming from the beta Canon T4i / 650D tested is clean.
In theory having a clean signal means that you can record the video feed to an external device like the Atomos Ninja and get a ready to edit, quality encoded Apple ProRes file.
The signal from the beta 650D seems to be routed to the hdmi port before it is being compressed. There are definitely less compression artifacts in the footage recorded on the Ninja than in the h.264 internally compressed files.
The Canon Rebel T4i / 650D kit with the 18-55 STM lens is still in stock at B&H. If any of you can do further testing please let us know the details.